17 October 2004 Sunday 02 Ramazan 1425 Opposition parties 'coming closer' LAHORE, Oct 16: Opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly Qasim Zia says the opposition parties are coming closer due to incapability of the incumbent government. ... 'Dual office Bill a blow to democracy' LARKANA, Oct 16: The leader of the opposition in Sindh Assembly, Mr Nisar Khuhro, has said that allowing Gen Pervez Musharraf to hold the post of the army chief together with the presidency is a blow to democracy. ... Our role in regional peace vital: Kasuri KASUR, Oct 16: Foreign Minister Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri has said the fourth round of composite dialogue between the foreign secretaries of Pakistan and India will be held in December. ... Resolution of Kashmir, Palestine issues urged RAWALPINDI, Oct 16: Information Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed on Saturday urged the United States to realize that Muslims want resolution of Kashmir and Palestine issues. ... Pakistan-India ties improving, says Menon LAHORE, Oct 16: Pakistan-India relations were improving and this would help address their bilateral issues and eradicate poverty and backwardness among their peoples. ... Gujral hopes for positive outcome of dialogue LAHORE, Oct 16: Former Indian prime minister Inder Kumar Gujral on Saturday sounded hopeful of a 'positive' outcome of the ongoing India-Pakistan dialogue for peace and said both the parties seemed more serious in resolving outstanding issues than before. ... Security plan for Chinese chalked out ISLAMABAD, Oct 16: Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao has said a comprehensive plan has been chalked out for the security of Chinese working across the country. ... Chinese stop work on Gomal dam: Abduction of engineers PESHAWAR, Oct 16: The state-run Chinese firm building Gomal Zam dam has stopped work on the dam after the kidnapping of two Chinese engineers and death of one of them in a commando operation on Thursday. ... US officials train 52 police officers ISLAMABAD, Oct 16: Fifty-two police officers have completed training in three different courses organized by the US Embassy's Narcotics Affairs Section. ... 'NALC results being delayed' GILGIT, Oct 16: Official results of the Northern Areas Legislative Council elections, scheduled to be announced on Oct 15, are being delayed because of the recounting of ballots in the constituencies of NA-III and NA-II, Gilgit, sources said. ... Balochistan offered 50pc waiver on power dues QUETTA, Oct 16: The federal government has decided that if electricity consumers of Balochistan pay up half of their outstanding dues by December 31, the remaining sum would be waived off. ... Body formed to review rest house tariff QUETTA, Oct 16: Provincial assembly Speaker Jamal Shah Kakar on Friday constituted a committee to review the charges of rooms and transport for members at the Balochistan House in Islamabad. ... Advice on hydro project sought ISLAMABAD, Oct 16: Federal Minister for Water and Power Liaquat Ali Jatoi has asked the NWFP government to submit its recommendations on the construction of the Keyal Khawr Hydro Project within three weeks. ... Construction at Thar coal project begins next year KARACHI, Oct 16: Sindh Minister for Mines and Mineral Development Irfanullah Khan Marwat has said that the tariff of electricity to be generated by the Thar Coal Power Project would be decided at a meeting to be held next week under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. ... 2pc job quota for special people sought ISLAMABAD, Oct 16: Senate Standing Committee on Social Welfare and Special Education has recommended allocation of two per cent quota for employment of special persons. ... 15 technical institutes to be set up in capital: FDE told to prepare PC-1 ISLAMABAD, Oct 16: Federal Education Minister Lt-Gen (retired) Javed Ashraf Qazi has directed the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) to prepare PC-1 for setting up of 15 polytechnic and monotechnic institutes in the capital. ... Afghan asylum seekers paid Rs2.2m for fake documents ISLAMABAD, Oct 16: Three Afghan nationals, who sought political asylum in Britain after travelling on fake documents, had paid Rs2.2 million for the documents, a source told Dawn. ... Schoolteachers, police to be made part of anti-Aids campaign ISLAMABAD, Oct 16: The government is considering involving the police and schoolteachers in its campaign to combat HIV/Aids in the wake of recent abnormal increase in the disease among vulnerable groups in the country, a source in the health ministry told Dawn. ... Wah to have centre for special people TAXILA, Oct 16: Federal Minister for Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis Ghulam Sarwar Khan has said a rehabilitation centre for the visually-impaired people will be set up at Wah Cantonment next year in collaboration with the Pakistan Baitul Maal (PBM). ... Call to change attitudes leading to violence against women ISLAMABAD, Oct 16: Rozan, a local non-governmental organization, arranged a discussion on "Mental Health Services - Need and Availability" and a poster launching ceremony in connection with the World Mental Health Day here on Saturday. ... Uniform law on marriage feasts recommended LAHORE, Oct 16: The Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan has decided to restrict to 300 the number of guests attending a marriage and introduction of uniform provincial laws on one-dish feasts at 'barat' ... Two SCBA vice-presidents return unopposed ISLAMABAD, Oct 16: Two vice-presidents of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) from Sindh and NWFP have been elected unopposed. The SCBA elections are scheduled to be held on October 23. ... Tawakkal gets 28 years for bank loan default KARACHI, Oct 16: Abdul Qadir Tawakkal, a business tycoon, was convicted on Saturday in four bank loan default cases by an accountability court which awarded him four terms of rigorous imprisonment, totalling 28 years. ... 'Peace process no threat to Pakistan's existence' LAHORE, Oct 16: World Punjabi Congress chairman Fakhar Zaman has said peace process posed no threat to Pakistan's existence but the self-styled guardians of Pakistan Ideology and Two Nation Theory were trying to subvert it. ... Dutch expert visits mango orchard MULTAN, Oct 16: J. Fonger, a consultant from Wageningen Plant Science group, the Netherlands, completed his two-day survey of the Mango City of Pakistan, Multan, to prepare report on how to give a phenomenal boost to its production and export. ... Cotton output likely to be 11.6m bales: Bosan - Export being considered MULTAN, Oct 16: Federal Agriculture Minister Sikandar Hayat Bosan said on Saturday the country's cotton production might touch 11.6 million bales' mark in 2004-05, and added that the option of exporting the silver fibre was under consideration. ... Liaquat's death anniversary observed KARACHI, Oct 16: The 53rd death anniversary of Quaid-i-Millat Liaquat Ali Khan was observed with reverence for the leader on Saturday in the city as elsewhere in the country. ... KACP chief Dr Muzaffar Shah dies LAHORE, Oct 16: Veteran Kashmiri leader, Maj Dr Muzaffar Shah (retired) died at a hospital in Edinburgh, UK, on Friday, according to a press release issued here on Saturday afternoon. He was 80. ...

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